Discord is escalating within the ranks of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) amid speculation that its interim leader, Rep. Park Young-sun, is considering quitting the party.
Park was quoted by NoCut News as saying that she is seriously thinking of stepping down from her post as chairwoman of the party's emergency planning committee and as floor leader, and eventually leaving the party.
"Everybody seems to want to kill me. There seems to be no more choice for me, but to quit the party," she was quoted as saying, Monday. "I need about two days to think."
Since making her remarks, Park has been in seclusion, not answering phone calls from reporters or party members. Even a party meeting, which she planned to convene Monday morning, was canceled.
Park's remarks came a day after 15 lawmakers of the NPAD, including Rep. You Seung-hee, called on her to resign to take responsibility, "for causing chaos in the party leadership."
"If Park refuses to step down voluntarily, we will jointly confront her," Yoo said Sunday.
Park has been serving as de facto party leader, replacing former co-chairmen Reps. Ahn Cheol-soo and Kim Han-gil who resigned early in August in the wake of the NPAD's crushing defeat in the July 30 by-elections.
She was set to lead the largest opposition party until a new leader is chosen at an NPAD national convention scheduled for early next year. But that changed following two failures to push through a special Sewol bill designed to establish a fact-finding committee to investigate April's man-made ferry disaster.
Her failed bid to recruit two outsiders, professors Lee Sang-don and Ahn Kyong-whan, to lead the emergency committee as co-chairmen put her deeper into political hot water.
Many party members, including party heavyweight Rep. Moon Jae-in, are opposed to the appointment of Lee, saying he is too conservative to lead the opposition's core body. Lee, a professor emeritus at Chung-Ang University, previously served as a member of the ruling Saenuri Party's emergency committee.
As the plan to recruit him foundered, Lee fiercely criticized the NPAD for its bungled decision-making procedures, adding fuel to the internal conflict within the party.
"I would say that the party has no proper procedure for decision-making," he said.
The professor also tried to defend Park, saying, "I might feel the same as how she feels now. She has done her best, but the party members produced complaints all the time."
Park's possible stepping down from the NPAD is raising additional speculation that the party could be divided, dealing a blow to the opposition bloc whose ultimate goal is changing the government by joining forces.
Mindful of the worst-case scenario, lawmakers who called on Park to step down the previous day, tried to downplay speculation of her leaving.
"Park is a rational person with a rich experience in politics. She loves the party. Such speculation cannot be the case," said three-term lawmaker Lee Sang-min.
He added, however, that he and his fellow lawmakers still want Park to step down from her posts.
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